Syllabus for BUS-421
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION CAPSTONE
Business Administration Capstone is a senior-level Capstone course that focuses on the development and implementation of strategy as a means to success in business. This course integrates concepts and applications from various functional areas of business. Relying heavily on case studies, the focus is on how managers engage in strategic thinking, planning, analysis, and execution to gain a sustained competitive advantage in the marketplace.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
CO1 Explain the importance of vision, mission, and objectives in crafting a company strategy and its
relationship to the company’s business model.
CO2 Integrate strategic management concepts, theories, and techniques as well as internal and
external environmental elements in formulation of a comprehensive strategy.
CO3 Compare and contrast alternative competitive strategies and behaviors and international
aspects if appropriate.
CO4 Incorporate exemplary ethical principles, and socially responsible management values in the
strategic plan.
CO5 Explain the key elements necessary to successfully execute a strategic plan.
You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. To purchase course materials, please visit the University's textbook supplier.
ISBN-13: 978-1259732782
Business Administration Capstone is a three-credit, online course consisting of eight modules. Modules include an overview, objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.
Course objectives covered in this module: CO1
Course objectives covered in this module: CO2
Course objectives covered in this module: CO2, CO3
Course objectives covered in this module: CO3, CO5
Course objectives covered in this module: CO3
Course objectives covered in this module: CO2
Course objectives covered in this module:CO4
Course objectives covered in this module: CO2, CO5
One or more of the assignments in this course may involve original research. Research on persons other than yourself may require approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Thomas Edison State University prior to beginning your research. Examples of research types that may need IRB review are questionnaires, surveys, passive observation of individuals, interviews, and experimental procedures. Research involving vulnerable populations will always need IRB review. An IRB review is designed to protect research subjects from potential harm.
The following links fully explain the purpose of the Institutional Research Board as well as how to determine if your research requires IRB review. If you are in doubt, always ask for guidance from the University.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete case study assignments, take a proctored online midterm examination, and complete a final project. See below for more details.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in About SafeAssign.
In addition to an ungraded Introductions Forum in Module 1, Business Administration Capstone requires you to participate in eleven graded discussion forums (one each in Modules 2, 4, and 5, and two each in Modules 3, 6, 7, and 8).
Communication and collaboration among fellow students and with the mentor is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.
You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, concepts, and practices as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.
Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.
You are required to complete seven case study assignments. The case study assignments draw on cases from the textbook and typically involve thoughtful, well-developed responses to case analysis questions. These assignments allow you to apply the strategic concepts and practices studied in the text and to sharpen your analytical, evaluative, and overall case analysis skills in preparation for the final project—a written case analysis report.
Prepare your case study assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.
Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.
When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor.
For a list of key concepts that may appear on your exam(s), refer to the study guide(s) available in the Examinations section of the course website. There is also a practice examination to help you prepare.
You are required to take a proctored midterm examination.
For the midterm, you are required to use the University's Online Proctor Service. Please refer to the Examinations and Proctors section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course website) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.
The midterm is two hours long and consists of multiple-choice and essay questions. It is closed-book and covers all reading and assignments from Modules 1 through 4.
In studying for the exam, be sure to review all core concepts and to reread the key points at the end of each chapter in the textbook. For practice, also consider taking each chapter's self-scoring, multiple-choice practice test.
Online exams are administered through the course website. Consult the Course Calendar for the official dates of exam weeks.
You are on your honor not to cheat during an exam. Cheating means:
If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in an exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.
You are required to prepare a final project and submit it at the end of the semester. Your final project will be in the form of an analytical report produced with the intention of making a recommendation to the CEO of a company.
The final project draws on concepts and knowledge gained from the entire course. To allow yourself sufficient time to complete an exemplary report, consider beginning the project soon after the start of Module 7. See the Final Project area of the course website for further details.
This course requires that you complete an assessment called the ETS® Proficiency Profile. This test, offered through Educational Testing Service (ETS), measures general academic knowledge and skills in the core areas of reading, mathematics, writing, and critical thinking. It is a widely accepted standardized assessment tool that will provide the University with important data to assess its overall quality and effectiveness in meeting the general education needs of our students. It serves as a valuable tool in helping us measure progress in achieving established learning goals and evaluate the effectiveness of our programs.
The ETS Proficiency Profile is administered in a non-proctored, online format. It should take you no longer than 45 minutes to complete. The confidentiality of your responses and scores will be protected. Your individual score will not be recorded, but you will receive a certain percentage of your overall grade (see Syllabus for details) for completing the assessment. Consult the Course Calendar for the due dates for taking this test.
Please use the following link that explains the steps involved in taking the exam, including the system checks that must be completed prior to taking the exam: ETS Proficiency Exam Instructions. Please read all instructions prior to taking the exam and allow extra time to complete the system checks.
To receive credit for completing the ETS Proficiency Profile, post a comment about the test and your experience taking it to the ETS Proficiency Profile discussion forum. In your posting, indicate the date on which you took and completed the test. For students taking a Guided Study version of the course, you may be asked to submit this information as an assignment instead of posting it to a discussion forum. Your mentor will verify your participation and will give you credit for it. Upon completing the test, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from ETS. Retain this e-mail for your records as verification that you completed the test.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | C+ | = | 78–79 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–77 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | C– | = | 70–72 | |
B | = | 83–87 | D | = | 60–69 | |
B– | = | 80–82 | F | = | Below 60 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings).
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
To ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University, familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies including those related to academic integrity, course late submissions, course extensions, and grading policies.
For more, see:
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